It's interesting to watch players develop over the course of their careers. Darwin Nunez's move from Almeria to Benfica is a good example. Prior to the move, he scored 16 goals and had just two assists in the league.
In his first season in Portugal, he improved his assist tally, and the Uruguayan's 26 goals and 4 assists in the Premier League in the 2021/22 season caught Liverpool's attention. Nunez is clearly a prolific goalscorer but rarely creates chances for his teammates.
If his shooting skills with the Reds can be matched by a knack for creating high-value scoring chances, then this is likely to continue. While Darwin has struggled with his shooting, averaging just one goal every 147 minutes, he has been surprisingly generous with his assists, especially against players like Mohamed Salah.
The link between Nunez and Salah is remarkable. All nine of Nunez's assists at Liverpool have come from the Egyptian, surpassing the total number of assists from Reds No.11s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota, despite playing less minutes. The only other player to assist Salah more times in two seasons was Firmino in 2017/18 and 2018/19, with a total of 11 assists, which Nunez could easily surpass with almost two-thirds of the season remaining.
A recent article by Opta analysts highlighted the partnership between Nunez and Salah, stating, "They have created 19 chances on goal for each other this season, the most in the Premier League, and their frequency of the pair creating at least four chances for each other every 30 minutes is the best in the top flight this season." The combination has the potential to be the deadliest assisting partnership in Liverpool and the Premier League since its inception.
Twice in the last 13 seasons, a Liverpool player has scored six goals for a teammate in the league: Luis Suarez for Raheem Sterling in the 2013/14 season and Sadio Mane for Salah four years later. After dishing out just three of his five assists in the 2023/24 season, Nunez surpassed his predecessor with four.
Nunez's transformation from a pure goalscorer to a player who can also provide assists is a testament to his development and ability to adapt. His ability to work with Salah adds a new dimension to Liverpool's attacking threat and their partnership could be a key factor in Liverpool's success this season.
